After Iran and India, Pakistan imposed highest number of internet restrictions in first half of 2023 – report

ISLAMABAD: Iran imposed the highest number of Internet restrictions during the first half of 2023, followed by India and Pakistan in the same period, a report released by Netherlands-based VPN provider Surfshark said on Monday. 

Surfshark tracks government-imposed Internet restrictions across the globe through its Internet Shutdown Tracker tool. In its latest report released last week, the VPN provider pointed out governments worldwide imposed 42 new Internet restrictions during the first half of 2023 compared to 61 in the same period in 2022. 

Pakistan imposed an Internet shutdown in many parts of the country after violent protests broke out following former prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9. The government also restricted access to social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and video-sharing platform YouTube during for three days before it began restoring mobile broadband services. The shutdown affected e-commerce, online services, home delivery and ride-hailing apps adversely, particularly in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. 

“In the first half of 2023, Pakistan was third in the world in new Internet restrictions, with 3 recorded cases,” Surfshark said in a statement, adding that all three of the country’s Internet shutdowns were sparked by Khan’s arrest. 

“Within the first half of this year, Pakistan has already had the same number of Internet restrictions as in all of 2022,” the VPN provider said in its report, adding that Asia accounted for 71 percent of all new restrictions imposed worldwide. “Iran was first in the world by new restrictions with 14 recorded cases, followed by India with 9 cases.”

The report said that all of Iran’s shutdowns were reported during protests in the Iranian city of Zahedan on a Friday, following protests against the Zahedan massacre. The majority of India’s restrictions happened during protests, the report added. 

Surfshark said Pakistan was among five countries that resorted to “nationwide” Internet restrictions in the first half of 2023, referring to the actions as the toughest of shutdowns and the most “economically devastating.”

“In Africa alone, three countries imposed nationwide restrictions: Mauritania (twice), Senegal, and Sudan. Pakistan and Cuba were the other two countries that imposed nationwide restrictions,” Surfshark wrote in its report. 

It said social media platform Facebook was restricted for use by five countries during the first half of 2023, as opposed to four in 2022. These five countries included Ethiopia, Guinea, Senegal, Pakistan, and Suriname.